March 01, 2005

“24”: Liberal or Conservative?

I raised this question a few weeks ago, and the responses have been about 50/50. Consider these generic versions of the primary arguments, and should be taken as much as parodies of actual political dialogue than dialogue itself (spoilers are likely, if you’ve never seen ‘24’ up until now):

Mr. L: “24” is liberal because David Palmer, the presidential candidate in season 1 and president in seasons 2 and 3, is clearly established as a Democrat, and is depicted almost entirely as an admiral, brave leader. In Season 2, he expresses willingness to invade “three middle eastern countries,” but is cautious, seeking to prove first that the unnamed countries were in fact responsible for that day’s nuclear attack. Such a turn of events would likely make Palmer the New Republic’s favorite president of all time.

Mr. C: However, since we learn very little of Palmer’s views on domestic politics, we can’t establish that he’s actually a liberal, and furthermore, Palmer falls victim in Season 2 to a coup attempt led by his vice president and several cabinet members, most or all of whom were presumably Democrats as well. And finally, the president in Season 4, Keeler, is a Republican, and both Keeler and his Secretary of Defense, Heller, are portrayed just as bravely and heroically as Palmer. Therefore, “24” is conservative.

Mr. L: But you forgot: that plot during Season 2, in which evidence falsified by sinister forces within the government nearly caused the United States to start a war in the Middle East, happened to take place at the exact same time that the real United States was starting a war in the Middle East, also largely based on evidence that turned out to be wrong. Furthermore, in a Village Voice wet dream, the manipulation was carried out by a consortium of oil interests. Therefore, both in being so prescient about the misuse of government power and distrust of Big Oil, and in opposing the idea of pre-emptive war, “24” is liberal.

Mr. C: So what? That decision followed one in which a nuclear attack took place on U.S. soil. And indeed, all four seasons of the show have featured terrorists seeking to do harm to the United States and CTU fighting back against them- therefore proving “24” conservative both in acknowledging that we are at war with terrorism, and in unambiguously endorsing the notion of fighting back against the terrorists. This is also demonstrated in that in dealing with terror suspects, torture is not the last resort, but rather the first.

Mr. L: Speaking of nuclear attacks… the Season 4 storyline, involving a plot by terrorists to cause meltdowns at several nuclear reactors, highlights two popular liberal causes: the environmental dangers of nuclear power, and the Bush Administration’s lack of security at nuclear power plants. Therefore, “24” is liberal.

Mr. C: But let’s look beyond the show: “24” airs on Fox, which as we all know is owned by the arch-conservative media baron Rupert Murdoch. Furthermore, all of the news footage broadcast within CTU is Fox News Channel, while on the February 28 episode, the terrorists were seen watching CNN. And the show’s creator and executive producer, Joel Surnow, described himself in a recent Entertainment Weekly article as a “right-wing nutjob.”

Mr. L: True, but there’s nothing conservative about the main character, Jack Bauer- yes, he’s willing to kill and torture terrorists, but he’s also practically the right-hand man of a Democratic president (Palmer) who he can get on the phone whenever he wants, and don’t forget that he was also cautious about going to war in the “three Middle Eastern countries.”

Mr. C: That’s nothing: throughout its history, “24” has exhibited a conservative-oriented tendency to spit in the face of political correctness- despite the cries of Muslim activists, it has used Islamic terrorists in two of its four seasons, and has never felt the need to depict racial minorities necessarily as heroic characters. Case in point- the show’s most notorious villain is Sherry Palmer, a black woman.

Mr. L: True, but even in doing so the show –in classic liberal fashion- has taken pains to balance out the Muslim villains with Muslim good guys, such as Resa and later the Muslim CTU agent in Season 2, and Berooz in Season 4. And that’s to say nothing of that PSA Sutherland did. There has been more than one African-American hero (from David Palmer on down), and besides, Sherry may be the show’s biggest villain, but by far its most hated character- Kim Bauer- is a white woman.